May 24, 2016
SAN DIEGO - Devin Watson, a native of nearby Oceanside, is transferring to San Diego State and joining the men's basketball program after spending his first two seasons at San Francisco. The guard, who had his offer of athletic grant-in-aid approved by the University, will sit out the 2016-17 campaign and have two years of eligibility remaining beginning in 2017-18.
The 6-1, 165-pound guard averaged 20.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists last season as a sophomore en route to earning first-team all-West Coast Conference honors. Watson, who started all 30 games, scored in double figures 29 times and was one of the top scorers in Division I, ranking third in the WCC, 27th nationally and tied for sixth among all DI sophomores.
Watson scored at least 20 points 18 times, which includes 33-point efforts against Gonzaga and Pepperdine and a 31-point outburst vs. Coppin State. The El Camino High graduate also had at least three assists 28 times and was credited with a minimum of five on 18 different occasions, including a career-high eight dimes at Portland. Watson additionally recorded his career high in rebounding with eight against Coppin State.
As a freshman, Watson played in 31 of 32 games, making 17 starts. The guard came off the bench the first 13 games of the season, scoring 14 points twice, before making his first career start on New Year's Day at San Diego. That started a string of 15 consecutive starts before stepping aside on Senior Night and re-entering the lineup for the final two games of the year at the WCC Championship. His top scoring performances came at Portland (21) and vs. Gonzaga (17), and he dished seven assists at Saint Mary's. All told, the WCC all-freshman selection averaged 8.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
Prior to his arrival at USF, Watson attended Army-Navy Academy in Carlsbad before transferring to El Camino where he averaged 25.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists as a senior. In his final prep campaign, Watson was named the Avocado West League Player of the Year and to the all-San Diego Section first team. At Army-Navy, he averaged 20.8 points, 4.5 assists and 2.0 steals in three seasons and was named to the MaxPreps Division 4 all-state second team and to the all-Coastal League first team.
Watson joins a San Diego State program that has won an average of 26 games the last 11 seasons, all of which have ended in postseason tournament appearances. The Aztecs, who have won a Mountain West-high 10 conference titles, will enter the upcoming campaign as the three-time defending regular-season champions. In the last three years alone, SDSU has averaged 28.7 victories, including a 28-win effort in 2015-16.
Although sitting out next season, Watson will be a part of a group that features five of last season's top six scorers, including Malik Pope, who announced on Monday night that he is returning to SDSU for his junior campaign after testing the NBA Draft waters without the help of an agent.
Additional Devin Watson Notes
2015-16 NCAA individual rankings: 20.3 points (27th), 4.9 assists (74th), 7.2 free throw attempts per game (24th), 217 free throw attempts (45th) … One of four players in the nation last season to average 20 points, 4.5 assists, 7.0 free throw attempts and have an assist-to-turnover ratio of at least 1.5 (only sophomore and underclassman in the country to do it) … One of seven players in the nation last season to average 20 points, 4.5 assists and have an assist-to-turnover ratio of at least 1.5 … One of eight players in the nation last season to average 20 points and 4.5 assists … One of 26 players in the nation to make at least 65 three-point field goals and dish out 140 assists … Averaged 20.3 points per game last season. The last time a San Diego State player ended a season with a scoring average that high was 1985-86 (Anthony Watson, 22.5) … Averaged 4.5 assists per game last season. The last time a San Diego State player averaged at least 4.5 assists per game was Richie Williams in 2006-07 (4.6).